Sharkoon Fireglider Black review

Is this budget gaming mouse worth the trouble?

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For

Good build quality

Accurate

Against

A bit on the light side

Not as accurate as some

Pricey compared to the competition

When it comes to mice, there have always been two things to bear in mind. Firstly, buy a Microsoft one. Failing that, buy a Logitech one. Recently that's been shaken up with the infinitesimally adjustable Cyborg R.A.T. 7 mouse, which works surprisingly well.

If there's a problem with these mice, though, it's that they generally cost upwards of £50, which is far too much for something that you'll only use for scrolling down pages of porn trying to find the one who looks like your neighbour. Sorry, I mean something you'll only use for gaming.

Enter the Sharkoon Fireglider Black, which will set you back just 25 notes. Unsurprisingly, it looks and feels exactly like a £25 mouse, with a plasticky finish and rubber 'gills' at the side, which I doubt mean that it can breathe underwater. Although that would be cool.

Sadly the Fireglider really isn't that cool I'm afraid. It's also got one of those weight systems modern mouse designers are so fond of, but even at maximum weight it feels like even a light breeze would send it straight to Oz. As in where Dorothy went, not the fictional, Nazi-filled prison from the TV show where everyone bums or gets bummed all the time.

It loses points for its look and feeling, but as a gaming mouse it's actually pretty competent. Sharkoon has covered it in buttons, which can be filled with macros to execute your favourite executions. It's also got a six-stage adjustable DPI system, which goes from 600 to 3600 DPI, complete with customisable LED colours.

It worked well with Dead Rising 2. Admittedly, chopping a zombie to bits doesn't require huge amounts of precision, but I did find myself switching through the DPI settings as I ran around the mall.

Problem is, on my desk I also have Logitech's G500, which is available for just a fiver more than Sharkoon's effort. The G500 just feels so much more solid and weighty, it has an iron-proof cable and it packs a similar number of those lovely buttons. And the venerable G5 is only £35 now. So, you should still buy Logitech.